University of Toronto is funding an orgy

Itâs being billed online as an epic student sex club adventure â and in other corners of the web, a student orgy.

The University of Toronto Sexual Education Centre (SEC) is kicking off
its annual Sexual Awareness Week next Monday at Oasis Aqua Lounge, a
downtown club that bills itself as a water-themed adult playground,
where swingers are welcome and sex is allowed everywhere but the hot
tub.

âU of T is holding an orgy, and youâre invited! You just need your
student IDâ one Reddit user posted in a University of Waterloo forum.

âOur executive director made it very clear that this is not an orgy,
weâre not funding an orgy,â says external education and outreach
co-ordinator Dylan Tower, 22, as he sits inside the sixth-floor office
of SEC. âPeople are allowed to have sex on premise â¦ there is not any
type of âYou should be having sex when youâre here.â Itâs very much,
come and enjoy the space, thereâs no prodding or pushing in that
direction.â

The event begins in the daytime, and organizers are asking students to
keep their clothes on until 7 p.m., when the âparty becomes
clothing-optional so you can get naked with all your new friends.â

SEC is an affiliated levy group of the University of Toronto Students
Union. Undergraduate students pay .25 cents a term for the services, and
can opt out if they choose.

The groupâs mission is to foster a sex-positive attitude in the greater U
of T area, by offering information, programming, safer-sex supplies,
and peer counselling in a welcoming environment. Their sexual awareness
week includes a discussion on sex positivity, an interactive sex toy
demonstration and an afternoon of pornography. The first event is the
party at Oasis: the organization rented the club and lowered the price
to $5 a person. (Admission for couples is normally $80.)

Tower said it is a safe and cheaper way to introduce curious students to
the sex club scene in Toronto. The group plans to provide a âmyriad of
safer-sex suppliesâ so âeveryone can be as safe as possibleâ and
volunteers will circulate to âmake sure everyone is respectful and
having the best experience Oasis has to offer,â he posted online,
addressing concerns.

The club is four storeys of easy-to-clean surfaces, with sanitizing
wipes, baskets of condoms, and lots of places to mingle, including the
back of a hippie van and a heated pool.

âIâm not in the lifestyle. Itâs not for me, but Iâm the owner, and it
makes people happy,â said Jana Matthews, as she gave a tour of the
facility on a quiet Monday afternoon.

Matthews said people like to visit the club because it is a safe space
where there are rules and etiquette, but no judgment. Some people like
to watch and be watched; other couples keep to themselves; some people
go as a group and have sex with each other. Everything has to be
consensual. Single men are only welcome one night a week. For the U of T
event, there arenât the same restrictions. Students are allowed to
bring one guest, but must have their student ID cards.

Jocelyn Wentland, PhD student in the Human Sexuality Research Laboratory
at the University of Ottawa, said the centre should be commended for
ânot hosting another âhappy hourâ at the campus bar and doing something
unique.â

âYoung people often experiment with their sexuality, and we know that
many young adultsâ conceptualizations of what constitutes a
ârelationshipâ has changed over the years. Recognizing those changes and
offering mechanisms and events for young adults to self-express their
sexual attitudes in a safe environment should be encouraged,â she wrote
in an email. âItâs time that we recognize that not everyone is in
heterosexual, monogamous, committed long-term relationships and nor does
everyone wish to be.â

Tower says sex positivity is all about coexisting, and not having disagreements about what is morally right or appropriate.

âWe just make sure that everyone, no matter what theyâre into, can
communicate about it, and have a great experience socially, without
people being like, âYou can't do that, thatâs gross.â

When asked whether it was a U of T-sanctioned event, and whether the
university had any concerns, a spokesperson responded with an emailed
statement: âThe University will not attempt to censor, control or
interfere with any group on the basis of its philosophy, beliefs,
interests or opinions expressed, unless and until these lead to
activities which are illegal or which infringe the rights and freedoms.â